Getting that Hijab

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Before I left Washington DC, I had been given very precise instructions from a friend to get a traditional, colorful Malaysian hijab (the head scarf that Muslim women wear). Especially at lunch time when women pour of their offices and in bazars on the weekends, the streets of Kuala Lumpur become a sea of gorgeous and colorful hijabs of the Malaysian style--beautiful and richly colored shades of purple, blue, green, red, and pink. Many include beautiful batik designs with intricate designs, such as flowers and vines.

I had my instructions. While walking around a neighborhood in Kuala Lumpur, I approached a small group of Malaysian Muslim women who were wearing hijabs and I asked where I could get one. This involved more sign language and a lot of curious looks and smiles--for good reason. First, in Malaysia, it is not considered exactly proper for a man to approach a group of women he does not know. Second, a man does not buy or wear a hijab. They were shy when I approached them but as soon as I said that I was from America and I wanted to buy a hijab, they quickly wanted to talk and ask questions about where I was from, what I was doing in Malaysia, and why I wanted to buy a hijab.

When we were finished chatting, we returned to the task at hand: getting that hijab. They all pointed in the same area: Masjid India.

Masjid India means "Indian Mosque" and the neighborhood around it is a mix of Pakistani, Arabic, and Indian Muslim cultures. It is walking distance from Chinatown, if you don't mind walking. But it was well worth it. Since it was around noon, I needed to eat and what better place to do so than Little India. I went to one of the large, covered eating areas and was pulled in by one of the owners of one of the stalls.

Again, with sign language, they showed me the dishes in the pots. I thought that chicken sounded good, but inside the curry chicken was, well, most of a chicken. I mean the whole chicken, including the head. I choose the beef. It was a wonderful beef curry of some sort. I also had a boiled egg that had been cooked or covered in some type of sauce-- don't know what it was but it was very nice. The owners were happy to let me snap their photograph.

After that, I was in search of the hijab. Not a problem. The area blooms with wonderful colors from Malay and Chinese Muslim dresses, hijabs, and hijab accessories. These include brilliantly colored hijabs, saris, sarongs, salwar kameez (a traditional dress in Southern Asia). The colors were awesome. The stalls were filled with rich blues and yellows and reds and greens everything else.

There were also a few flower stalls and stalls where people made garlands. Tamil and Hindi music was coming out of several of the shops and a blind couple were playing songs on an electronic piano. Overall, the area felt like you were in a large bazaar, surrounded by people unpacking and buying gorgeous fabrics while trying to dodge motorscooters, which are everywhere and worthy of great caution. The people were always sweet, kind, and generous.

I Want More! For more beautiful photographs and stories about Kuala Lumpur and many other parts of Malaysia, visit the website of the Malaysia International Tourism Bloggers Conference and Awards website at http://www.mitbca.com/ and you will be delighted with the beautify that is Malaysia!

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Photos

Lunch
See the picture of the hot dog in the upper left hand corner? Trust me, not a hot dog in sight.

The Owners
The owners of the little stall where I had lunch. They were very sweet.

Selecting a Hijab
Ladies looking at Hijab and Hijab accessories.

What you can't see
This lady is laughing in part because to her right, one of her sales women is crouching out of sight because she was too shy to be photographed.

"Bigger"
After I showed the lady her photograph on my camera, her sales girls all yelled "Bigger" "Bigger", by which I assumed they meant closer up. So I did. They were all screaming and laughing and trying desperately not to be photographed, except this lady.

Owner
When I approached the husband and wife owners of the store, the wife hid behind her husband, and then went to the side. But he was a good sport.

Saris
And of course, there were lots of saris and Indian women checking them out.

Bazaar
Although there were a lot of standing stores all over the place, there was this covered bazaar where people had small stalls.

Sari and Hijab Shop
One of several shops with wonderful fabrics

Comments

[Kathy]

Beautiful
This is just wonderful, I love the beautifully colored fabric and the lovely smiles!

[Dave]

Mim Pics
When do we get to see Mim in some of these pics. As far as I know, you are down the street fabricating your trip from the basement of you home picking random pics off the web. Let's see some evidence!

[Ina]

Love this!
Didn't realize I could respond. I love this, Mim. I look forward to your blog every day. Keep them coming and have a great time. It's beautiful.

[Paul]

Thanks
Great stuff, Mim. Thanks